Halloween New Uses for Old Things

Aluminum Foil as Party Garland

Twist foil into links to make a sparkly garland for an almost-instant party decoration (or a rainy-day distraction for the kids).

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2 of 18Photo: Nicole Hill Gerulat; Styling: Kristine Trevino

Sticker Dots as Party Cups

Turn plain white cups into custom-designed party wear with simple dot stickers, available at any office supply store.

3 of 18 John Lawton

Gift Box as Cupcake Carrier

If the forecast calls for iced roadways, stabilize your sweet cargo by cutting X’s into the tops of gift boxes and inserting the cupcakes. (A shirt box will hold about eight.)

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4 of 18Photo: Nicole Hill Gerulat; Styling: Kristine Trevino

Pumpkin as Place Card

Spell out guests’ names with adhesive letters (or write them with a permanent marker); send the mini gourds home as party favors.

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5 of 18Nicole Hill Gerulat; Styling: Kristine Trevino

Clothespin as Napkin Holder

Use a clothespin to keep napkins neatly stacked at a cocktail party—or from blowing away at a picnic.

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6 of 18Levi Brown

Cupcake Liners as Candleholders

Nothing holds a candle to dining al fresco, unless it’s so dark you can’t see the food in front of you. Place tealights in foil cupcake liners for a little glow at your next outdoor party. They’re cheap enough to use by the dozen, and cleanup is a piece of (cup)cake.

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7 of 18Photo: Nicole Hill Gerulat; Styling: Kristine Trevino

Party Hat as Candy Dish

Use extra paper party hats to corral candy on a display table—or fill them with popcorn to hand out to kids.

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8 of 18James Wojick

Plastic Cups as Party Lanterns

Create festive party lanterns for any season. Count the bulbs on a strand of holiday lights and cut X's into the bottoms of the same numer of small cups. Then push a bulb through each cup's center and hang the string from a doorway or window.

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9 of 18Levi Brown

Turkey Baster as Pancake Shaper

Use a baster full of batter to squeeze custom pancakes onto the griddle. Start with easy letters and shapes, then work up to more complicated designs, like these leaves. (The trick is to draw the outlines and veins first, let them brown, then fill in the gaps with more batter.)

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10 of 18Photo: John Lawton; Styling: Linden Elstran

Beans as Candle Anchor

Pretty and functional. Fill a hurricane vase with beans before adding a pillar candle to help keep the candle steady and minimize mess (the beans will catch the wax).

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11 of 18Photo: Nicole Hill Gerulat; Styling: Kristine Trevino

Paper Sack as Halloween Treat Bag

Don’t pay a premium for Halloween-themed treat bags. Turn any paper sack into a jack-o-lantern with a few precise snips.

Lint Roller as Glitter Pick-Up

Candy Wrapper as DIY Gift Wrap

Sworn off candy? Use the leftover wrappers to sugarcoat small-scale presents: Cut a wrapper into a flat sheet, then fold and tape as usual.

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15 of 18Photo: John Lawton; Styling: Linden Elstran

Cupcake Liner as Halloween Decoration

Show what a creative Halloween party “ghost-ess” you are. Turn white liners upside down, attach spooky googly eyes, and display them by a boo-fet of seasonally inspired treats.

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16 of 18David Prince

Pumpkin as Centerpiece

For a festive seasonal table-topper, cut off the top and hollow out the seeds. Then arrange fresh flowers, such as daisies or mums, in a water-filled jar and place inside, or use dried leaves and twigs.

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17 of 18Kate Sears

Candy Corn as Cookie Mix-In

Chop leftover chocolate candy or candy corn and use in place of chocolate chips for cookie recipes.

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18 of 18Lucas Allen

Cupcake Liner as Snack Bowl

Fill sturdy foil cupcake holders with mixed nuts, mints, hard candy, or candy corn and scatter them around a party. Or, to make kids swoon at a birthday, place an individual cupcake holder at each setting.